Three's (Not) A Crowd

PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

Partnership of HWS dancers leads to collaborative trio

by Kathryn Bowering '11 and Sarah Tompkins '10

In "Third Wheel," Professor
Donna Davenport, Associate
Professor Michelle Iklé and
Jeanne Schickler Compisi '96
find themselves in a state of
perpetual compromise. The dance
—originally choreographed as
a duet—is a carefully balanced
study of movement, music, intent
and partnership among three
choreographers simultaneously
leading and following.

"Negotiation in collaboration
is a dialogue, not an argument,"
explains Iklé. "True partnerships
work when each partner is present,
when there is room for growth and
change."

With each rehearsal, the
choreographers quickly learned
that creative differences can
transform, present new ways to
investigate and express an idea,
and open minds to create freer
expression.

"When there is trust and deep
mutual regard, negotiation doesn't
feel like compromise," echoes
Davenport. "It becomes about
being in the moment, caring and
making art."

Davenport relishes this
cooperative evolution and sees
the time spent responding to
and learning from her dance
partners as the escalation of art.
An ideal collaboration results in a
performance that transcends any
expression one dancer can achieve
individually.

By title alone, "Third Wheel"
seems to suggest that trios cannot
coexist in the real or dance worlds;
however, when Davenport, Iklé and
Schickler-Compisi give and take in
their powerful performance, it is
clear that three is far from a crowd
—it is a magical number.

"When we began to dance,
it was like having a comfortable
conversation with an old friend,"
says Schickler Compisi. "I felt
myself exhale—we finally had the
ideal partnership."